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Wednesday, December 16, 2015

Meat, Manufacturing & Alchemy: Making Use of the Tarrasque

The Tarrasque is utilized in a number of different ways to feed the populace and grow the economy of Salt in Wounds. What follows is an overview and common knowledge of some of the most common Tarrasque derived products generated by the city.

Meat

The most commonly used part of the Tarrasque is the meat; muscle and fat tissue cut out and consumed. Meat comes in many forms the most common of which is stringy basale which is boiled in bulk and practically (or in some cases, literally) given away. As such, it is considered the lowest class foodstuff of Salt in Wounds. From there, there is a range of cuts to satisfy every palate and price range from almost fishy osseous to prime, red flank to all the most rarified plates of pth. But of all cuts, the tongue is most valued which is (officially) served only to high ranking God-Butchers and honored guests following a successful Rite of Mutual-Recognition. However, there are numerous black-marketeers which claim to sell tongue for exorbitant prices (and at least one who actually does).

Salt in Wounds is a huge exporter of heavily salted jerky which can remain edible for months or even years.

Living Leather

Not technically ‘alive,’ this common textile prepared from the soft skin below the Tarrasque’s scales has a limited ability to repair from minor scrapes and cuts. Of special note is how this material, it clings to other objects made (or wrapped) in living leather, meaning that such objects can be carried without straps or other bindings (although with the disadvantage that two sheets of living leather left in contact too long will eventually merge together). Before donning living leather, specially designed hanger-spanners are used to stretch it out as otherwise the material will fuse into a condensed ball over time.

Clothing made of this material are form fitting to the extreme, and brightly colored bodysuits -clinging to bodies in ways that leave little to the imagination- made of this material are favored by dandies and prostitutes alike. On the other end of the spectrum, black dyed clothing made of Living Leather is favored by those who wish to cling to the shadows.

Phosphorous

Salt in Wounds is a primary supplier of phosphorous for alchemists and others the world over; a supply they produce by boiling huge quantities of Tarrasque Urine (often collected by cutting directly into the beast’s bladder and directing the flow). This phosphorus is used primarily for alchemical weapons and for metallurgical functions, although significant amounts is used as fertilizer for the rare aristocratic gardens which dot the city.

Tallow

Harvested from around the loins of the Tarrasque, tallow is a common substance traded throughout the city (and beyond). Tallow is primarily used for non-magical heating and lighting (torches, lamps, and household stoves) with gasified tallow being used to power some extremely experimental engines and devices created by researchers in Sage’s Row.

Ambergris

The most rare and sought after reagent the Tarrasque produces, this waxy yellow substance is used as a base by perfumers or consumed raw as ‘marital aid’ by the wealthiest citizens of Salt in Wounds. Tarrasque Ambergris is worth 100 times its weight in gold.

Horn & Bone

Low grade Tarrasque horn & bone can be shaped by specialized bone smiths in nearly any application that would commonly call for steel (as these materials exhibit similar hardness, ability to keep an edge, and other functionalities). As such; armor, weaponry, and tools in Salt in Wounds and the region beyond are commonly made from this material. Such items have the advantage over steel in being relatively inexpensive. They have the disadvantage that -when damaged or suffering from wear- they are impossible to repair and must instead be replaced.

High grade Tarrasque scale or horn has properties similar to adamantine and is extensively used 1) by God-Butchers to cut into the Tarrasque and 2) by bone smiths whose craft tools are made of the substance. Such tools and weaponry must be specially cared for and occasionally ‘fed’ or they cease approximating adamantine and will instead degenerate into ‘low’ grade status (approximating steel). ‘Feeding’ involves heating the item in question in a forge and then quenching it in a small quantity of fresh Tarrasque blood mixed with water or tens of gallons of other blood which is absorbed into the item.

Scale
Scale is hard to harvest and even harder to work with, meaning that only a small handful of armorers make use of it (and Tarrasque scale is invariably used for armor). Still, despite this fact Tarrasque Scale Armor has entered the popular imagination of sentient beings the world over as it is known to grant wearers a small fraction of one or more to the Tarrasque’s defensive abilities. Like high grade horn and bone, this material must be carefully maintained and ‘fed’ to maintain its special functions.

Alchemy & Medicine

Finally, alchemy derived from Tarrasque extracts is the second most important industry in Salt in Wounds (and will be covered in much greater depth later). Such palliatives, aids, weapons, and boons come in a dizzying array and have been known to provide functions as disparate as regeneration, induction of rage, allow diners to eat near limitless quantities, avoid fear, and so on. Of special note are so called ‘blood tokens’ - thin, coin sized wafers made via alchemical distillation that double as a secondary, de facto currency of Salt in Wounds. These tokens are actually comprised primarily of blood which is processed with small, alchemically active amounts of other, rarer reagents. Those skilled in the art (and possessing the proper equipment) can extract one of any number of alchemical functions from these bits, or use a sufficient quantity of specially treated blood tokens in substitution for an otherwise unobtainable reagent.

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